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Address of President Manuel L. Quezon on Policies and Achievements of the Government and Regeneration of the Filipino Wiki
Political Context Quezon was the only man styled as a president, and receiving a nineteen-gun salute. As he looked forward to twenty-one guns, he gave thought to the future shape of the Philippine polity and its leadership. Quezon was at the height of his powers, and the Japanese threat, while felt, and was still sixteen months away from becoming an invasion. He criticized dictatorships, including dictatorship of the proletariat, and lauded democracy of the Lincolnian kind, "of, by, and for the people." This rhetorical opening preceded a series of sallies against old ideas of the scope of governments, which accented too much the sacredness of property and contracts, and recognized too little the social obligations of men living under the same system. The idea that individual liberty must not be restricted, while heading towards his conceptual and practical goal: governmental initiatives in behalf of social justice. It further reveals his attempt to clear theoretical ground so that the Philippines might catch up with the United States’. He was not of that class; he could get along with it; could seek and get its support in some matters; and could still see its self-indulgence and social hierarchism as dangerous to the Philippines. To the criticism that he wanted to do away with all, Quezon said that nobody feared to speak out in the Philippines. Historical Context Among leaders of colonized peoples before the Great Pacific Warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Pacific_Wa, Quezon was the only man styled as a president, and receiving a nineteen-gun salute. As he looked forward to twenty-one guns, he gave thought to the future shape of the Philippine polity and its leadership. In 1940 three speeches laid out a rough Theory of a Partyless Democracy."" Quezon was at the height of his powers, and the Japanese threat, while felt, was still sixteen months away from becoming an invasion. Quezon made the metaphorical point that a nation is like a family, in which the father and the children cannot be at cross purposes. Nobody challenged his figure of speech. Quezon did not sound to his audience like a wayward Confucian from Northeast Asia; he was in fact touching the heart of some prominent: values in the Philippines which were common to Greater Malaysia. But nearly everything else Quezon said that day was challenged: by students, professors, journalists, jurists, and the Civil Liberties Union. The latter organization raised fears of a "tyrant." Quezon, undaunted, reentered the fray with another speech, in which he clarified his principles and stressed his major aim of social justice. The second speech further reveals his attempt to clear theoretical ground so that the Philippines might catch up with the New Deal in the United State's, and with the reforms of Miguel Aleman in Mexico; and to ride past the high-handed hacendero mentality which he distilled? He was not of that class; he could get along with it; could seek and get its support in some matters; and could still see its self-indulgence and social hierarchism as dangerous to the Philippines. To the criticism that he wanted to do away with all "fiscalizers" (critics), Quezon said that nobody feared to speak out in the Philippines. The evidence was that so many had done so against him: "Your Constitution offers you all the checking you need, except the checking of the opposition." He wished to make the basic point that executive power was required to effect social justice. This, the opposition was trying to block. He would be content, however, to succeed in less: to "show the world that this totalitarian ruler is known enough in the government university . . . for everybody to feel that he can disagree with him, and neither lose his job nor go to jail, that is enough for me." An earlier speech shows how deep Quezon's concerns actually went-to the deepest levels of a national character. "The Filipino of today is soft, easy-going. . . . He is uninclined to sustained strenuous effort. . . . Face-saving is the dominant note in the confused symphony of his existence. His sense of righteousness is often dulled by the desire of personal gain. His norm of conduct is generally prompted by expediency rather than by principle. . . .'"* Apologizing for the severity of what he was saying, he called upon memories of the heroes of the past, Bonifacio, both del Pilars, Mabini, Luna, and above all Rizal. Why wait for an emergency to awaken the flame of their spirit? To endow the Filipino with optimism and valor, refashion the culture and character is an urgent "task of national spiritual reconstruction." To insure its accomplishments, "we shall formulate and adopt a social code-a code of ethics and personal conduct-a written Bushido-that can be explained in the schools, preached from the pulpits, and taught in the streets and plazas. . . . We shall indoctrinate every man, woman, and child in its precepts. . . . "Every official of the government will cooperate, and ignorance of, or failure to live up to, the rules of conduct established, will be a bar to public office. There will be some superficial men, those who claim and believe that they know it all, who would brand this as the first step toward totalitarianism. Let them bark at the moon. Cultural Context Positive and Negative traits of Filipinos''' Every country has its differing values and''' stereotypes, and the Philippines is no exception. We Filipinos firmly believe that our country has the best values in the world. Although we have been colonized by several countries, many core values from our ancestors remained intact and are still honored to this day. Filipinos are not perfect, but we have great characteristics and qualities every one of us should be proud of. Below I've listed some of the most well-known positive and negative traits of Filipinos. Positive Traits of Filipinos 1. Hospitality - This is one of the most popular qualities of Filipinos. Foreigners who have gone to the Philippines find themselves falling in love with the warm hospitality they are shown. It's a different kind of value system, which has existed for thousands of years. Here are some examples of the hospitality that Filipinos show, not only to foreigners, but also to their fellow citizens: § When a person visits a friend's house, the host greets him or her with a very warm welcome. The host will immediately let their visitor sit down and will prepare a meal or a snack plus drinks for the visitor. The host will insist that the friend not leave the house with an empty stomach. A host will always make sure you had a great time visiting them. § People offer their guest room to visitors if they're going to spend the night. Meals offered to guests are very special. A host always finds a way to prepare great tasting food that her visitor wants to eat. 2. Respect - This is often observed—not just by younger people—but also by people of all ages where children respect elders by saying "po" and "opo," which mean "yes," when answering their elders. 3. Strong Family Ties and Religions - Filipinos value their families so much that they tend to keep families intact through the generations. § Families go to church and pray together because their religion is important and creates a strong bond, marking God as the center of their lives. 4. Generosity and Helpfulness - Filipinos are generous people. Even when we have very little, we always share with those around us. 5. Strong Work Ethic - Filipinos are hardworking people to the point that we are willing to work almost the whole day just to feed our families. That's how Filipinos are. Negative Traits of Filipinos 1. Crab mentality - There are some of us Filipinos who got a bitter view at competition—that if we cannot win, then no one will. Instead of helping each other to be successful, we even make ways to pull them down like discourage them from taking great opportunities, or destroying their image. This is because we want to be the only one at the top. If only we would see the achievements of our neighbors or colleagues as an inspiration to reach our own goals instead of considering them as threats. We should realize that the success of each Filipino will contribute to the improvement of the country, and this can help all of us to be successful as well. 2. Procrastination or “Mañana Habit“ - This is another habit which keeps the development of our country slow. Look at the government projects which have been left undone for years. If only they were completed immediately, then many Filipinos would have already benefited from them. This is also true with many of us. Instead of working on a task while there is much time, we wait for the deadline because we feel lazy to start on them, or we want to use the time in other things. Of course, the outcome of our completed work would not be of high quality because they were rushed. 3. Hypocrisy (being a double-faced person) - As a country which claims to value morality, most of us try to live up to the standards set by the traditional society. However, as no one is perfect, many of us are not actually able to sustain these standards. The fear of being an outcast has forced a lot of people to live a double standard life. To hide our failure in following a norm, we tend to be condemning to those who are caught red handed. A perfect example could be the criticisms faced by those who become pregnant outside marriage. The sad fact behind this scenario is that some of these critics could have actually engaged in premarital sex too—only that no proof is visible. 4. Ningas cogon - In Spanish, “ningas cogon” means a burning cogon grass. This flaming grass quickly burns out—and this best describes one of the worst Filipino traits. Most of us are very good at this. We are excellent at starting projects or idea execution. Nevertheless, after a few hours or days, we lose the excitement, and we become too lazy to finish what we have started. 5. Inconsideration (being thoughtless of others) - This habit could be a result of having too many things on mind—have to find money for kids’ tuition, need to look for a better job, stress over a drunkard or unfaithful spouse, and other problems. We become insensitive to the needs of other people because we need to focus on ourselves first. However, this country could be an easier place to live in if we were thoughtful enough to show kindness to one another. These problems will be easier to deal with if we will help each other get over them. 6. Ignoring or not following simple rules and instructions - Laws and regulations are created to make communities harmonious. However, how can we achieve that peaceful neighborhood if we cannot even follow the simplest rules like crossing on the pedestrian lane and not loitering around? It is not enough that we demand change in our government. We should also strive to start change in ourselves by being disciplined citizens even in the smallest ways. 7. Passivity (lack of leadership) - Filipinos’ lack of initiative for change is also one reason why our country does not progress. We keep on complaining against the government and other societal issues. However, we do not do anything about them. One of our excuses is the lack of faith that our small actions can bring change. However, the worse reason for this could be our lack of care for what is happening around us. Common Filipinos also lack courage and confidence. If you can notice it, in classrooms, churches, or conference rooms, most of us don’t like to sit in the front seat. Filipino Patriotism: Then and Now Filipinos back then, tend to show patriotism a lot more than we do now. They are willing to sacrifice themselves just to show how much they care and love our country. Many Filipinos had shown this kind of patriotism. They once fought for our country using all of their strength and until their last breath. If we're going to look back to our past, Filipinos back then considered patriotism as a serious matter. In order to attain a better country, one must show their great patriotism and it means that you are willing to offer everything you have even your precious life for the sake of your own country. But in the Philippines, today, we are lacking in patriots largely due to the diffusion of Filipino values, culture, influence of conquistadores, and the confluence of historical bad governance. The Philippine State is in dire need of statesmen who truly understand the basics of politics—politics being defined as the systematic study of the state—the state being defined as having four basic elements: territory (the Philippine archipelago, its waters, subterranean shelves, etc.), people (the Filipino people who are nationalistic and patriotic), sovereignty (freedom from foreign dictates), and government (a body politic composed of delegates who are considered to be representatives of the people to stand and fight for Filipino interests, dreams, aspirations, and hopes). For as long as our political leaders blind us of these things, for as long as the Filipino people refuse to learn, for as long as we remain mediocre, for as long we could not change our self inwardly, for as long as we refuse to change, nationalism and patriotism will only be words in the dictionary. Latest activity Photos and videos are a great way to add visuals to your wiki. Find videos about your topic by exploring Fandom's Video Library. Category:Browse